2004 Tribeca/Sloan Screenplay Development Program
The projects selected for the 2004 program were The Broken Code by David Baxter and Face Value by Gretchen Somerfeld.
The writers were assisted by an advisory committee that included Dr. Harold Varmus, Dr. Alison McInnes, and Col. (Ret) David R. Hughes. Varmus is a world-renowned Nobelist cancer researcher, former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and serves as current President of Memorial Sloan-Kettering. McInnes is assistant professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics and director of the Laboratory of Neurobehavioral Disorders, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Hughes, an expert in bringing unlicensed spread spectrum radio to remote parts of the globe, was named one of the 25 “most innovative wired leaders in the world” by Wired magazine in 1998. In addition to science advisors, each writer was assigned a screenwriting advisor. Program advisors from last year included Academy Award-winning screenwriters Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Insider) and Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Abandon). Scene readings with professional actors as well as discussions with filmmakers, writers, and scientists were held at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Broken Code explores the controversy surrounding the contribution of scientist Rosalind Franklin to the groundbreaking discovery of the structure of DNA and is based on an investigation by Franklin’s friend, Anne Sayre, whose book Rosalind Franklin & DNA, challenged for the first time earlier accepted accounts of the discovery and Franklin’s role in it. Sayre’s book restored Franklin’s image and brought to light her contribution to one of the world’s most important discoveries.
DAVID BAXTER received his degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and worked in corporate marketing before beginning his entertainment career as assistant to documentary director Errol Morris. After moving from New York to Los Angeles, Baxter held several development positions and earned his master’s degree from UCLA’s Producer’s Program. While there, he produced his first feature film, a romantic comedy called Shooting Lily that won the 1996 SXSW Film Festival. Always interested in stories about technology and their impact on society, Baxter became a member of the WGA after selling “Nuvolari,” an epic racing car script, to 20th Century Fox. Most recently he formed Nimbus Pictures with producing partner and entertainment publicist Lisa Taback with a mission to produce thought-provoking entertainment for the 21st century. Baxter is represented by the William Morris Agency.
Like many high school students interested in biology I had eagerly read Nobel Prize winner James Watson’s memoir about the discovery of the structure of DNA, The Double Helix. I took for granted that everything in that book was true, including its unflattering depiction of a scientist named Rosalind Franklin. It was no accident that I stumbled onto another book that told a very different story by Anne Sayre, a close friend of Franklin’s, called Rosalind Franklin and DNA. After reading it and ultimately interviewing Mrs. Sayre I was convinced that this was not only a great mystery involving the ethics behind one of the world’s most important scientific discoveries but also a moving example of the power of friendship to right a terrible wrong. The Broken Code is my way to honor Franklin and Sayre and show that a science mystery can be as compelling as a murder mystery.
Face Value is the story of screen siren Hedy Lamarr, who shot to stardom in the early 1940s and at the same time, with composer George Antheil, created and patented her invention for frequency hopping in an effort to stop the Nazis in World War II. This visionary concept would supply the U.S. Navy with a secure remote-control guidance system for torpedoes, and become the forerunner of revolutionary wireless communications used globally by millions today.
GRETCHEN SOMERFELD has written, directed, and produced a feature film and three shorts. All of the films have received worldwide distribution and have been shown at numerous venues — from the American Cinematheque to the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. She graduated from New York University Film School, was the winner of the Independent Filmmakers Grant from the NEA, and was the honored recipient of the Disney/DGA Directors Fellowship. Somerfeld has worked in film and television as a script supervisor, production manager, and still photographer. She has directed theater in New York and Los Angeles and is a member of the Writers/Directors Unit at The Actors Studio.
Writing Face Value and researching Hedy Lamarr’s extraordinary life prompted me to identify a “synchronicity” theory of success. What often determines success largely depends on when we come into this world. If it’s during a time when society can embrace what the particular individual has to offer, he or she will prevail; if one is unfortunately “out of synch” with one’s era, it may well set the stage for a lifetime of isolation and even pain. So I wonder: had Hedy lived during a period when possessing both intelligence and beauty did not represent a conflict for women, would she have led a happier life and have been allowed to fulfill her true potential? Rather than having her brilliance dismissed, would she have been encouraged to become a “star” in the fields of science and technology?
